When Louis got home, he ran straight to his room and locked the door, despite his friends' desperate pleas with him to let them in.
They wanted to comfort him, but all Louis wanted was to cry himself to sleep and build up his walls so no one could ever infiltrate his heart again.
He made a mistake letting Harry in and he was going to make sure no one ever hurt him again.
He didn't understand how a person could be so cruel yet so incredibly intoxicating. Louis was drawn to him, even though he constantly treated him like shit. He hated Harry, but felt lonely without their strange interactions.
And he hated himself for feeling that way.
In that moment, he made the decision to never let Harry dictate his life again. He was going to filter out anything that had anything to do with the curly haired scumbag.
He threw himself down into his bed face first and buried his head in his pillow as tears finally coated his face.
He cried his heart out into his pillow, kicking his shoes off and tucking himself into a little ball on his bed.
The bed that was still full of Harry from the previous night. It smelt like him and was still messy from the way they'd left it. The sheets were still dirty and it just reeked of the essence of Harry.
Louis wanted to wash it immediately, to get rid of all the Harry in his room. But first, he wanted to cry and be left alone to let out his emotions.
"Louis. Louis, please." Niall begged, knocking on his door.
"Fuck off, Ni. I don't want to talk to anyone." Louis yelled back, choking a little.
"Louis, trust me. I hate him as much as you do right now." Niall attempted.
"NO! YOU DON'T! You haven't just had your heart ripped out and fucking obliterated. Just leave me alone!" Louis screamed before shoving his head down again and sobbing.
Niall took a deep breath before continuing.
It was clear that his friend needed him, not matter what profanities he yelled. Niall knew he had to be there, even if Louis said that he didn't want it.
"Louis, I know you." He said softly, resting his forehead on the door. "I'm your best friend. I know that you like your tea black. I know that you like guys that are taller than you. I know that you don't eat carrots because they make you sick. And I know that when someone breaks your heart, you need someone to hold you. You like it when you put your head in my lap and I stroke your hair." He stopped for a second before getting even quieter.
"Lou, let me in, please."
Louis sat up and took a few breaths, realising that Niall was right. He did know him. And Louis did need him.
He got up shakily and moved towards the door.
He slowly unlocked it and opened it to reveal Niall standing with a sad smile and extended arms, ready to hold him.
Even though Louis looked like an absolute mess, his hair sticking up and his face all red and blotchy, Niall didn't notice.
All he noticed was that Louis was upset and needed his best friend.
Niall stepped into the room and scooped him up into his arms just as another bout of tears overtook him.
"C'mere." He cooed.
Niall closed the door behind them and moved the crying boy to the bed so they could sit down.
He leant back against the headboard so Louis could so just what Niall had said. He laid down beside him and rested his head in Niall's lap so Niall could gently thread his fingers through his hair to calm him down.
"I hate him." Louis sobbed.
"I know, I know. I hate him too." Niall agreed, rubbing his back.
"Why? Why did this have to happen?" he continued, just wanting to let it out.
"You didn't deserve it mate. You didn't deserve any of it." Niall reassured him.
"Why is he like this? WHY? Why do I feel like this? What's wrong with me? What's happening..." Louis trailed off as he cried harder.
"It's okay, Lou. You're allowed to feel like this. Just let it out." Niall said, still rubbing his back and stroking his hair.
"I fucking hate him." Louis continued crying. "His 'apology' just turned into another blow up. That's all that ever happens! Whenever we're near each other, we just blow up. It's too much. We're too much..."
"Shhh. Bud, it's okay. We'll get him back." Niall cooed.
"I don't want to." Louis whispered, squeezing his eyes closed.
"Huh?" Niall asked.
"I don't want to get him back. I don't want anything to do with him." Louis explained. "I will never even look his way again. He's scum. He's a fucking arrogant asshole who deserves everything bad in this world."
Niall nodded to himself. "Okay, if that's what you want." He said softly. "We'll do what you want."
Louis whimpered a little and pressed his face into Niall's leg as more tears flowed down his face.
"Fuck." Louis whispered.
Niall could only watch and try to comfort as his best friend let out all his emotions. He continued to just be there while Louis poured his heart out and eventually fell asleep.
Niall slowly rubbed his shoulder and back until his breaths evened out and he was sure that Louis was sleeping.
He slowly manoeuvred his body out from under Louis and stood up, careful not to wake him.
He pulled the duvet up to cover his body and tucked a pillow under his head.
Niall looked at him with a sad expression and took a step back.
Louis' face was red and wet with tears, a frown still present on in and all Niall wanted was for that pain to go away.
He turned around and closed the curtains before leaving turning the lights out and leaving the room, shutting the door after him.
Niall took a deep breath and ran his hands over his face. He didn't know what to do to help Louis. He wasn't sure what he could do to make it all go away.
He turned around to go down stairs and nearly bumped into another guy, Nick, who lived in the frat house with them.
"Oh, sorry, Grimmy." Niall said. "Didn't see you there."
Then, he looked at what he was holding.
He had a few buckets in his hands along with dishrags and a mop.
"It's okay, mate." Nick replied, his smile dropping when he saw Niall looking at his armfuls of cleaning equipment. "We're going to clean up outside, you know... the mess Harry made earlier."
Niall nodded. "Yeah, it'd be best to get that gone before he wakes up." Niall gestured towards Louis' room. "He doesn't need to be reminded."
Nick nodded sadly. "Uh, yeah. I heard about what happened, we all did, actually. I'm sor-"
"Don't." Niall interrupted him. "Just don't talk about it, yeah? He doesn't need to hear you all be sorry. Just act like it didn't happen and try to help him get back to normal."
Nick nodded again, understandingly.
"I'll come out to help." Niall offered, which was gratefully accepted by Nick.
They went down stairs together where Niall saw a few of the other guys filling buckets in the kitchen and grabbing soaps.
Niall opened the front door for Nick and a few of them to start the windows before going out the back to survey the damage on the deck.
That was the worst of it. After the windows and deck was done, there would only be a small task of picking up the rubbish they left behind and they would be done.
Niall bent down and ran a finger through the paint on the deck. It was dried and permanent, meaning it would take a while to get off.
He sighed and went back inside to tell the others and grab another mop.
Once he did, he opened the front door to tell Nick about the paint when he was met by a completely different sight.
Niall's eyes widened in disbelief as he took it in.
Harry was marching up to the house. Well, trying as he was being held back by some of the guys and Nick.
"Let go of me!" Harry shouted. "Fuck off. I need to talk to him."
"No chance." Nick replied, as he pulled Harry's arms back. "You need to get the fuck out of here."
"No-"
"You've done enough already. Can't you see? You've already fucked up enough of his life. Just get out." Nick spat, making Harry spin around angrily to face him.
"You don't know shit." He shot back. "Just let me talk."
He was beyond angry.
Angry was what he was when he was speaking to Louis in his back garden in the middle of their war.
Since then, he'd been through a variety of emotions.
After Louis and the others left, he broke down. He knelt in the middle of the garden and put his head in his hands, trying his hardest not to cry.
His mates all came out from around the back of the shed to comfort him but he could barely hear it. His head was just filled with what Louis had said.
You're a conceited asshole who only cares about his reputation.
I can't believe I ever liked you.
I hope I never have to talk to you again.
He heard Zayn tell the others to leave and he felt his friends arm around his shoulders.
Zayn asked what happened and Harry explained through his choking sobs.
Zayn tried to reassure him just has he had earlier just before the attack when they were in the lounge.
Then, Harry stopped crying and lost all emotion. He became blank and Zayn started to worry.
That was when the fact that he had lost Louis just sunk in. He realised that he was gone and for some strange reason, he felt like that was the end of his world.
He became completely blank and Zayn had to try and make him see that it would be okay.
Then, he started laughing as he denied that Louis hated him. He got overly happy and thought that nothing had even happened. Harry completely convinced himself that Louis was still in love with him and that they would live happily ever after.
Once Zayn talked some sense into him and finally showed him reality, he got sad again.
He didn't cry again, he was too exhausted to cry, he was just devastated that Louis didn't want anything to do with him.
Zayn, again, told him that if he apologized the way he told him to earlier, and didn't let it turn into a war like it just had, then Louis would listen.
So he built his hopes up and ran straight to Louis' house, only to be greeted with very angry frat boys, all with an allegiance to Louis and a desire to kill him.
He was at his last straw.
Harry ripped his arm away from Nick and turned back to Niall who was standing on the deck.
Before anyone could do anything about it, Harry was face to face with Niall.
"Please let me see him."
"Get the fuck off the porch."
"Ni, pleas-"
"Fuck off. You've already fucked up enough for one day."
"I need to speak with him."
Harry's voice was getting higher and wet as he fought back tears again, something Niall had never seen coming from the ever-composed Harry.
But still, he wouldn't waver.
Not when his best friend's sanity was at stake.
"I don't care what you say. There is nothing that can come from that mouth of yours that will make me move."
"Ni, please. I have to apologize. I didn't mean what I said. Any of it."
"No, Harry. What do you not understand about No. N. O. No."
"Please!"
"No! And considering how your last apology went, I really don't want to let you in."
Harry threw his hands in the air and groaned. He turned around and ran back down the steps before turning and facing the house.
"I'm sorry!" he shouted upwards, towards Louis' bedroom window. "Louis! I'm so fucking sorry and you were right about me. I'm ev-"
Before he could finish, Niall tackled him to ground.
"He's asleep." Niall hissed through gritted teeth. "Do not wake him. You have no idea what it took to get him to calm down."
"Fuck." Harry swore at himself, his eyes glistening with tears. "P-Please..."
Niall shook his head and stood up.
"Just go." He spat. "Leave, and stay the fuck away from Louis."
"I can't promise that. I need to tell him how sorry I am." Harry begged one last time.
"He knows." A voice from the front porch made both Niall and Harry spin around in shock.
Louis was standing there, his hands fisted at his sides as he clenched his teeth as his blue eyes sparkled with anger.
"And he doesn't give a fuck."